Panasonic unveiled half-inch thick, 3D printed 4K OLED TV at CES

Jan.8, 2013

Panasonic unveiled a prototype of the world's joint largest OLED screen today at their keynote at CES 2013.

The half-inch thick, 56-inch television based on organic light-emitting diode technology is a mere inch bigger than ones unveiled by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics a year ago in Las Vegas. And surprisingly, this prototype is manufactured using 3D printing technology. Panasonic is more than a TV company, says the company's president Kazuhiro Tsuga. "Now more than ever, we are committed to creating real value for our customers," Tsuga said. The Panasonic 4K OLED features 3840 × 2160 resolution and weighs 27 pounds. Pricing and availability was not revealed.

The use of 3D printing technology could one day bring the price down (we hope). Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) predicts that Ultra High Definition (UHD) will be "prominently displayed" at the International CES, but HDTVs will not have wide early adoption, particularly as the first 4K TVs to reach the market were priced in the $20,000-$25,000 range. CEA projects that in 2013, the average wholesale price of a 4K TV will be $7,000, and will drop to roughly $2,800 by 2014.